Federal

West Coast Ocean Protection Act of 2023

Source: Congress.gov · 341 words in original text

What This Bill Does

This bill stops the federal government from allowing oil and natural gas drilling in ocean waters off the coasts of California, Oregon, and Washington. The ban is permanent and changes a federal law called the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act.

Who It Affects

The federal government official called the Secretary who issues drilling permissions. Oil and natural gas companies that want to explore or drill in ocean waters off California, Oregon, and Washington. Any company seeking to develop or produce oil or natural gas in those areas.

Key Provisions

The Secretary cannot issue permits for exploring, developing, or producing oil or natural gas in ocean waters off California, Oregon, or Washington (Sec. 2).

What Changes

If this bill becomes law, the Secretary will be legally forbidden from approving any new oil and gas drilling leases (permission contracts) in the ocean waters off the west coast states listed. This change applies regardless of any other federal law or rule.

Important Definitions

The "Outer Continental Shelf" means ocean areas off the coast. A "lease" means a contract giving a company permission to search for and extract oil or natural gas.

Effective Date

Not specified in bill text

II 118TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION S. 22 To amend the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to permanently prohibit the conduct of offshore drilling on the outer Continental Shelf off the coast of California, Oregon, and Washington. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES JANUARY 23 (legislative day, JANUARY 3), 2023 Mrs. FEINSTEIN (for herself, Mr. PADILLA, Mr. WYDEN, Mr. MERKLEY, Mrs. MURRAY, Ms. CANTWELL, Mr. MENENDEZ, Mr. BOOKER, Mr. MARKEY, and Mr. SANDERS) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources A BILL To amend the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to perma- nently prohibit the conduct of offshore drilling on the outer Continental Shelf off the coast of California, Or- egon, and Washington. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘West Coast Ocean Pro- 4 tection Act of 2023’’. 5 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:19 Jan 25, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S22.IS S22 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 2 •S 22 IS SEC. 2. PROHIBITION OF OIL AND GAS LEASING ON THE 1 OUTER CONTINENTAL SHELF OFF THE COAST 2 OF CALIFORNIA, OREGON, AND WASHINGTON. 3 Section 8 of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act 4 (43 U.S.C. 1337) is amended by adding at the end the 5 following: 6 ‘‘(q) PROHIBITION OF OIL AND GAS LEASING IN 7 CERTAIN AREAS OF THE OUTER CONTINENTAL SHELF.— 8 Notwithstanding any other provision of this section or any 9 other law, the Secretary shall not issue a lease for the 10 exploration, development, or production of oil or natural 11 gas in any area of the outer Continental Shelf off the coast 12 of the State of California, Oregon, or Washington.’’. 13 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:19 Jan 25, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\S22.IS S22 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS

Important: This plain English summary was generated by AI and is provided for informational purposes only. It is not legal advice. Always consult the official bill text on Congress.gov or a qualified attorney for legal matters.